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Sunday, March 22, 2015

I'm going on a trip this week to visit my sister, so I probably won't get a chance to share a sentence sampler with you again for a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these snippets from my work-in-progress, Courting Cassandry!

Monday: Gerolt to Cassandry
concerning his son, Rauffe: “Aveline always knew how to care for him. I
have been lost to know how to deal with him without her.”

Tuesday: Cassandry gazed down the path that led to the
fountain, perhaps as surprised as he was that Rauffe and Egelina had not fled
back to join their parents.

Wednesday: “Really, Cassandry, it has been over twenty
years,” Sir Samson protested. “I never thought you so vindictive as to hold a
grudge for half the span of your life.”

Thursday: Antony had cut her off from the world, and with it
all news of the people she once had loved, after Sir Samson’s “game.”

Saturday:You were not
only my guardian, but my closest friend. Even my love for Antony could not fill
the loss in my life when I left you, and then when he made me sever my last
connection with you—For a moment, Cassandry felt again the wrenching void
of that blow.

In King John's England, Robert Marcel chafes against the law that holds him bound as a villein on his lord’s manor. He tries to make a daring escape and is nearly caught by his cruel master, but a young girl helps him slip away.

Years pass and Robert takes up trade as a minstrel. Invited to play at a banquet for the notorious Earl of Saxton, he is stunned to come face to face with the girl he’s never forgotten—now Lady Marguerite of Winbourne, betrothed to the earl. Her status as a noblewoman puts her completely out of Robert’s reach, but he knows they are meant to be together. He vows to make her his wife no matter what the cost.

Lady Marguerite has often thought of the young man she helped escape. Her tender feelings for him quickly turn into much more when they are brought back into each other’s lives. She longs to be free to marry Robert, the man she loves, but that will require her to sacrifice all she holds dear.

They are tested at every turn by those bent on driving them apart and destroying what they have found together. Can their love truly conquer all?

This giveaway is open to USA entries only (18 years old or above). Enter via the Rafflecopter form below. If the Rafflecopter form doesn't show up, click on the link that says A Rafflecopter Giveaway and it should take you to the form. Because I will be out of town when the blog hop closes, the winner will be drawn on April 1, 2015 and have 48 hours to claim the prize.

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author, bloggers and publishers on the sponsor list. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Making progress slowly but surely with my next Hearts in Autumn romance, Courting Cassandry. (I always say that, don't I? But it's true. I'm a slow, methodical writer. But still, I press forward!) Here is a sampling of what I accomplished this week.

Monday: Sir Samson to Lord
Gerolt: "I do not know what passed between Cassandry and Antony, but she
has changed, and I do not mean only the smattering of lines at the corners of
her eyes."

Tuesday: Cassandry had never thought of his eyes like smoke.
They had always only been the eyes of her guardian, eyes that laughed with her,
that listened patiently to her, that weighed her words with wisdom and
discernment.

Wednesday: And yet there had been something about Gerolt’s touch
that day, and his smile, that for one bewildering moment had prompted her to
wonder if his kiss might taste as sweet as Antony’s.

Thursday: Cassandry suddenly wished her head replete with gray
hairs so she might relieve her frustration by pulling them out by the fistfuls.

Friday: Gerolt had never imagined anything but total trust
and warmth could lie between them, but the years had clearly altered Cassandry
in ways he had never conceived possible.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

It's been a very long time since I had a new WIP to share with you! I was busy polishing up and publishing The Lady and the Minstrel. But now that L&M has been happily launched, I'm diving into a new Hearts in Autumn romance, tentatively titled Courting Cassandry. My hero (Gerolt) and heroine (Cassandry) are both widowers and old enough in this story to each have a teenage child. Here is a sampling of new sentences I typed this week from Courting Cassandry:

Monday: Where
Aveline’s voice had grated and hissed and snarled, Cassandry’s fell upon his
ears like the music of a sweet, gentle rain.

Tuesday: As they moved away from Gerolt, he heard Egelina
whisper something to her mother in a hiss far less meek than the murmured
acknowledgments she had been responding to the knights’ compliments with.

Wednesday: And then it was time for the ring and the
betrothal kiss. Cassandry heard a soft, “Ow!” and a muffled, “Sorry.” as Rauffe
apparently shoved the ring too hard over Egelina’s knuckle.

Thursday: (15 year-old Egelina to her mother, Cassandry) “He would much rather I be a nun—well, of course
God would! And I shall tell Lord Gerolt so, even if his height does frighten me
a little.”

Friday: After years of dressing drably, it had felt so bold to
don the crimson, and so very, very pleasant to have a man compliment instead of
condemn her for it.

Monday, March 2, 2015

At the request of multiple readers, I have written an EPILOGUE to The Lady and the Minstrel. The epilogue debuts today! If you purchased a copy before February 28, you may receive a FREE copy of the epilogue in your choice of mobi/Kindle, epub/B&N/iBooks, or PDF formats. Just email me at jdipastena@yahoo.comand I'll send you a copy directly. If you own a print version of The Lady and the Minstrel and would like a physical copy of the epilogue, I will print you out a copy on decorative paper that you can fold and insert into the back of your print copy. Again, email atjdipastena@yahoo.comif you would like me to mail you a print copy of the epilogue!You won't want to miss this sweet ending to Rob and Marguerite's story!

(Both e- and print books will have the epilogue automatically included as of today.)

About Me

Joyce DiPastena fell in love with the Middle Ages when she first read Thomas B. Costain’s THE CONQUERING FAMILY in high school. A graduate of the University of Arizona with a degree specializing in medieval history, she is a multi-published, multi-award winning author. She specializes in sweet medieval romances heavily spiced with mystery and adventure.
Joyce lives in Arizona with her two cats, Clio and Glinka Rimsky-Korsokov

Joyce's books and stories

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